Entertainment

ELLSWORTH — In his first year as executive director at The Grand, Nick Turner has made the idea of community a main focus. And so it is not a surprise, after a successful production of “Our Town” this fall, that the show for the holiday season is another well-known, small-town story: that of the everyman …

ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth High School Mad Jesters takes its audience on a deep-sea dive with its musical production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which opened last weekend and will continue this coming weekend. No scuba gear or snorkels were necessary for us to experience the enchantment of King Triton (a regal Nick Hansen) and …

BLUE HILL — For many music lovers, the holidays are not complete without George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” The composer’s masterwork will fill cathedrals and concert halls around the globe this holiday season. Carrying on the tradition, Blue Hill Bach’s 20-member choir and soloists will perform Handel’s oratorio at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, at …

More music is associated with Christmas than with any other holiday. That’s not surprising since carols heralding the season date back at least to the 13th century. What is surprising is the variety of the music, which ranges from the spiritual majesty of Handel’s “Messiah” to the secular silliness of Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed …

WINTER HARBOR — On Nov. 20, a brisk Monday evening as the sun went down on Main Street around 4:02 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, 15 singers and musicians gathered for a rehearsal at Hammond Hall. “Until the dark time ends,” they sang in a swelling a capella, “we need the comfort of …

BROOKSVILLE — One thing’s for sure, Jim Picariello’s been through a lot in life. The 46-year-old joined and left a cult in his 20s, launched a successful frozen-tea business and lost it in his 30s, and now he is an aspiring screenplay writer who hopes to someday write the scripts for movies full time. The …

ELLSWORTH — Meet Ariel, the fun-loving mermaid, sneaky sea witch Ursula, reggae-singing Sebastian and other characters who will greet movie-goers at the screening of Disney Pictures’ “The Little Mermaid” on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 4 p.m. at The Grand. The cast from Ellsworth High School Show Choir’s upcoming production of “The Little Mermaid” will be …

ORONO — One thing is certain about performances by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra: Music Director and Conductor Lucas Richman asks a lot from the players, and they deliver. On Sunday at the Collins Center for the Arts, the program comprised four pieces — three from the 1880s and one world premiere — none of which …

BLUE HILL — Imagine an evening being entertained by humor, moved by drama and enlightened by the works of some of the best playwrights of the 20th century — all in a fast-paced two and a half hours. Well, that is what New Surry Theatre is up to with its Directors’ Festival, at the Town …

ELLSWORTH — Proto-punk rocker Jonathan Richman, whose 1976 hit “Roadrunner” has been pitched three times to become Massachusetts’ State Rock Song, will take the stage with drummer Tommy Larkins at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at The Grand. Raised in Natick, Mass., and inspired by the Velvet Underground, Richman formed and was the frontman/songwriter …